Given out free at most retail outlets in Singapore, Singaporeans has consumed the lightweight, waterproof and convenient but not biodegradable plastic bags at an excessive rate.

The fact that Singapore uses 2.6 billion plastic bags annually comes to me equally as a shocking revelation and a harbinger to our environment.

This world record initiative aims to cultivate the habit a recycling in students as the plastic bags are collected from 22 schools island wide and seeks to reverse this dangerous trend.

No doubt, it was tiring for all participants to put together 69 000 plastic bags into a single ball sculpture but the process reminds us of how difficult it is to dispose all these used plastic bags that usually ends up as litter in our neighborhood.

Certainly, this event has impacted many students deeply and many has chosen to take their first step to change their lifestyle into a plastic bag-less one.

Khng Jun Xiong

“I+1” has its unique meaning. “I” refers to an individual, while “+1” denotes the effort of going the extra mile, which can come in in-terms of influencing others to dispose off their litters responsibly, or spearheading an event, like a mass bleach clean-up, to bring about a positive change in the attitudes of Singaporeans for a cleaner environment.

Being a reputable City State known to be “Clean and Green”, does Singapore require such an event at all? Why is this movement formulated?

Firstly, we have to ask ourselves if this hard-earned reputation still stands. Just take a look at our beaches, and public places especially after a large-scale event like the Chingay. What we see for ourselves is a decline in cleanliness and that Singapore is more “cleaned” than “clean”, meaning that we might have been too reliant on our cleaners to keep our environment clean.

Being a First-World Nation, this lack of ownership and responsibility for the environment is appalling and shameful even, for it speaks a lot on our citizens’ value. We might be a First-World Nation in economic terms, but if this situation persists, we could just condescend to being a Third-World Nation when it comes to having the right attitude for the environment.

In response to this impending challenge should we have left environmental cleanliness the responsibilities of our cleaners, KSBM devised I+1 with a BOLD VISION, that is, to “mobilise the community to take action to sustain a clean and beautiful Singapore.” A platform to bring together the 3P partners, I+1 hopes to be able to promote a sense of community ownership and social graciousness by leveraging on youths to influence and empower their counterparts, who will then serve as a bridge to reach the wider community.

Last Sunday, on the 22nd, hundreds of youths from various institutes and individual organisations, including Ci Yuan CC YEC, partake in this pre-event publicity drive which included a massive “I+1” aerial shot at the Marina Bay Promontory, a human formation outside Nee Ann City promoting the I+1 cheer along with the entrance of our guest of honour, Mr Andrew Tan, CEO of the National Environment Agency (NEA) and lastly, a public-advocacy drive along Orchard Road where youths went around with event posters for the public, Singaporeans and tourists alike, to sign on, in a pledge to keep Singapore clean and beautiful.

The event ended in a blast with a final group photo that would accompany other event photos and videos that will be uploaded into social media sites to breed the mantra of the I+1 movement, that I, plus 1, will go the extra mile.

Lee Qian Yi

Jia Yun

Following the first counting session was the second GWR counting session. This time, we were supported by students from ITE College East. This group of youths will also be the facilitators for the official event itself, which is the actual construction of the sculpture on 21^st April 2012 to commemorate the Youth for the Environment Day (Y4ED).

It was really heartening to see them coming down to help us out early in the morning. It was not just a counting session, but also a bonding session that allowed us to know them better and have fun together! Other than counting the plastic bags, we also started constructing the core of the sculpture.

Can’t wait to see the actual sculpture on 21^st April, where we will also be inviting students from 10 different primary/secondary schools to join us in this record breaking challenge!

Yan Ting

What made this year really special was that there were many environmental advocates from countries like Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong coming together to attend this YEE. Ci Yuan CC YEC also hosted Hong Kong delegates who attended the Green Youth Ambassadors (GYA) 2011.

Prior to the YEE, there was a field trip to the Tuas Incineration Plant and it was truly an eye opener going to different departments to see how our waste is disposed. From this trip, we learnt a lot about Singapore’s waste management, and we were amazed by the system in place.

As for the YEE programme, it was very meaningful as it taught us step by step on how to organise green initiatives which are sustainable and able to leave an everlasting impact on the community. Each day of the workshop, we built up each layer of the pyramid, where we considered the factors to look out for, our target audience, the problems we would meet and the final goals we wanted to achieve. There was a feeling of achievement when we managed to reach the peak of the pyramid, which also meant the success of promoting such initiatives!

Other than the programme itself, there were some sharing sessions amongst the envoys, and we learnt a lot from hearing the perspectives of other youths, and their invaluable ideas. This is especially when we are all from different countries, as there is a difference in the systems towards environment sustainability of different countries. In fact, some delegates were impressed by Singapore’s concept of a “Garden in the City”, and of our commitment towards the environment.

Of course, we had a really good time with the delegates as well. Hosting the Hong Kong delegates especially gave us a great opportunity to bond with them, and to discuss certain environment issues together with them. We brought them around Singapore to places like Chinatown, the Esplanade, to meet our Advisor Mr. Yeo, and even to the Singapore Flyer, where we invited all the delegates from the YEE to join us too.

All in all, it was a great experience, and it provided a platform for YEC to connect with a group of passionate youths to lead and promote good changes to society.

Yan Ting

True as it is, the YEE 2012 has broadened my horizons and changed many of my viewpoints towards environmental issues. It was a great pleasure to meet Mr Robert Steele, the very engaging and knowledgeable host of the program. We were taught how to facilitate team discussions effectively and how to execute a sustainable project.

In addition, I was also a host for four young environmentalists from Hong Kong. Over the course of the YEE, we built strong friendships, exchanged ideas and debated over environmental issues locally and in Hong Kong. I am very grateful to have been their host and will never forget the fun, laughter and things we have learnt during the process. I am certain they enjoyed their time here too!

Jun Xiong